Mafiastuck: Book 1: The Broads, The Bullets, and the Breakaways
by Karkat Captor
Summary: Karkat Vantas is a member of the infamous Makara mafia family, just as Hunter is the assassin for the equally as infamous Strider family, and both are in a gang war against each other - and a human, particularly, one named John Egbert, is caught in the middle of all of it. Mafia has never been so dangerous. Gore, sex, yaoi, OCs, the works. JohnKat, GamOC, TavTere.


**Mafiastuck**

**Book 01: The Broads, the Bullets, and the Breakaways**

**Chapter 01: Guns & Roses**

**Two households, alike in dignity. **

_I, Karkat Vantas, am a murderer._

_The boy I once loved lies at my feet. _

_I don't know if he's dead. _

_I only know that I've killed some part of him._

_And that alone makes me feel as though the gun, pointed at his body, should be pointed at my own head._

There are two main crime families that go upon in this city.

There is the infamous Strider family, who claim their existence upon breaking rules, and showing the world just how ambitious a family can be – and their own goal lies beyond anyone's mind, even, of course, their own.

And then there's the Makara family. The rowdy, rancorous bunch that make their only intention troublemaking and nothing more. Their typical reaction to anything being to 'have fun with it', in which case, the fun often got violent.

The two were headed, respectively, by 'Bro' Strider, and Kurloz Makara, although days were reaching nigh that such titles would be given to Dave Strider and Gamzee Makara, both the children of the former leaders of the clan, and the clear choices to be selected as leaders.

One took it better than another.

But that is something to be delved into later.

My name is Karkat Vantas, and I am a member of the Makara family.

This is my story. No one fucking else's. Only mine.

And I suppose my lover's story as well, but…you'll all see.

It started by a typical hold-up.

"F…Freeze!" The short boy in a wheelchair rolled himself in, wearing a mask that we had bought (emphasis on 'bought', Tavros believed that stealing things that were not planned 'would ruin us'), and so he'd simply bought for himself a large novelty mask of Albert Einstein or some shit like that. Terezi, not exactly being Miss Subtlety herself, being blind, dove in, guns blazing, as the shopkeeper took refuge behind the counter. That was my cue to walk in.

"Mister Banks. Us of the Makara family understand that you haven't paid your dues?" I snapped, pushing Terezi up to get her to stop shooting. She blinked, slightly understanding, and put her gun away, snickering, as Tavros slowly removed his arms away from his face, noticing that it had become clear to view the ongoing events again. "Now." I raised him up, pulling my sickle from my back and lifting him up by the shirt. "We don't want to make me live up to my rank, now, do we?"

"Please, Karkles, going all 'knight of blood' won't help your shit." Terezi chuckled. I shot a cold glare at her as Tavros blinked, tapping at her as if to get her to back off. She merely shrugged, feeling the tap, and leaned back against the shop window, her gun in her left hand, her finger on the trigger, just-in-case. The man gulped, frightened, and as he stuttered (almost as bad as Tavros, I had to question if they were related at one point) I stared at him coldly.

"I don't want an explanation. I just want your money."

He nodded quickly, reaching down into his cash register and pulling out three 100 dollar bills. Letting him fall, I sighed, shaking my head, taking a few tens forcibly.

"Pleasure doing business with ya, Banks."

With that, Tavros began to wheel himself out, as Terezi followed after. Shooting the man a cautionary glare behind me, I exited as well. Tavros was already getting his signature cautionary jitters outside, and Terezi (if she could see) would have been rolling her eyes – but at the moment, she was merely letting out a long-winded sigh, as if to say "Karkles, calm your 'BFF' down." I sighed, looking down at Tavros, who was contemplating the repercussions of our actions.

"And what if we get caught by the police?! My dad can't find out about this! He'd….he'd kill me! Especially if he knew I was still hanging out with that 'racial war gang'! I'd die! I'd die and I wouldn't be able to tell anyone! None of you would know and eventually someone would shout out 'where's Tavros' and I wouldn't be there to tell them that I'm there and I'd be hanging in my basement from a noose—"

"The hanging part appeals to me." Terezi commented dryly, placing her gun back into its' holster. "Look, Barrie won't find out."

"BUT WHAT IF HE DOES. And, and, and…"

"He won't." I sighed. This happened every robbery, and Tavros always freaked out beyond all belief, and Terezi was always annoyed by her 'friend's' actions. "He won't and you're being a paranoid idiot. As per the usual."

"I…I hope….so…" Tavros whined lightly, and then he looked down, wheeling down the street. "Well, we got the money for Gamzee…let's go back…"

"Yeah. We got Makara's drug money." Terezi yawned, shaking her head. "We should probably just get the 'pies' for him already, because god knows that's all he's going to spend it on."

"No…he could easily spend it on…"

"Faygo. Yeah, yeah." Terezi shrugged. "Because, you know, that's all there is to life. We don't need any defenses against the Striders or anything—oh, wait, yes we do."

"Talking about your boyfriend again, eh, Terezi?" A familiar voice intoned. Glancing over at it, it turned out to be one of our 'comrades', Vriska Serket, alongside the other so-called 'comrade', Nepeta Leijon. "You know that he's out to kill all of us. You know that." Nepeta merely looked terrified – and that was natural, considering Vriska being one of the top assassins amongst the family.

"You act as if I really care." Terezi frowned. "I'm just worried that a poor baby like you might get killed."

"Tch. Boring." Vriska crossed her arms. "Anyway, I was sent by Gamzee himself to check on you all. Karkat, there been any progress?"

"Well, let's see. We got our payment, we scared another owner, and Tavros has managed not to piss himself today." I sighed. Vriska let out a snort at the last one, looking down at Tavros precociously.

"That's just wonderful, isn't it, Pupa?"

Tavros lowered his head, looking at the ground. "Err, I guess…" He muttered lightly, shaking his head. Vriska quickly leaned up, looking straight into my eyes again.

"Well. Get the money to Gamzee and get onto your next assignment, Moronic Squad."

Terezi merely sighed deeply again, clearly pissed off by the current situation, as Vriska let out a sharp laugh and motioned for Nepeta to follow her, as she began to walk off. A few cautionary glances back our way as Nepeta slowly trailed after Vriska showed that she, as well, wasn't entirely comfortable where she was, but there was no helping it. As Terezi motioned for us to follow, as she trudged ahead, Tavros wheeled himself behind, and I quickly followed after.

The Makara family base happened to be at the least likely location possible: a pet store, run by Nepeta's parents. The smell of animal lurked everywhere except the staff room, in which there was a ladder, leading down into the basement…or in our own case, the base. The ever-present honks echoed through the room as to notify Gamzee that there was someone else entering, and he, although stoned-as-hell as per the usual, turned his head up to the ladder, and noticing it was Terezi, and I (holding Tavros), he honked in return to signify that it was safe. As we got to the ground, Gamzee gave us a slightly shaky wave – something noticeable about him when he hadn't gotten a pie as-of-late.

"Karbro…Tavbro….Terezi…" He muttered, still keeping his ever-present smile, but nonetheless, looking antsy.

"Got your money." I said, handing him over the dollars, and he smiled a bit wider, obviously grateful. He handed it over to one of the lower ranks (presumably, one of the further off branches of the various members of the Makaras), and took his seat back into the horn pile he laid on when he was relaxed. Tavros slowly wheeled over, as Terezi had put him back into his 'underground' wheelchair. He smiled weakly, looking at Gamzee, and mumbling "I'm glad he looks happy…"

He always did get worried about everyone, that kid.

In the meantime, Vriska and Nepeta had shown up again, Nepeta, seeming to be quite relieved from the break between being assigned with her 'work partner' (in reality, she had two, much like everyone else – Vriska and Naedri, but Naedri had wandered off to god-knows-where), and so, she was bounding around, quickly ending up being nabbed by her older brother Equius and patted on the head, as if to get her to calm down. She quickly did, purring as if a cat, and then giggling. I, on the other hand, merely hung around Terezi and Tavros.

My little 'disabled team'.

It wasn't their own fault, but Gamzee had the great idea at the time to put Terezi (blind), Tavros (wheelchair), and me (presumably the ending of the joke always being that I was poor) all on the same team. And so, ever since, Vriska had come up with the moniker of 'Team Disabled', and it stuck, just as 'Team Catty Bitches' had been Vriska's squad's name. Nonetheless, even though I hadn't known Terezi and Tavros that well before the team, they had grown on me.

Tavros had the sympathy of a child, always fearing that if something were to go wrong, or if someone were to get hurt, it was all his fault and would come back to bite him in the ass later. He had a kind disposition, and even when he deliberately tried to act intimidating, he never succeeded, looking more and more like someone who only wanted to desperately follow his friends' lead every time. And in reality, that was exactly what he was – a follower, not a leader.

Terezi was the exact opposite – she was the hot-blooded, 'all are guilty', guns blazing persona of the team, quickly deciding alignments and trying to destroy those opposing her decisions, and those judged 'guilty', earning her the nickname of 'gallowsCalibrator'. She was always seen as the unquestionable leader, leading to her decision to follow me being somewhat of a shock.

I had been seen as nothing more than a supposed 'best friend'. Sure, I had been taken in by the Makaras when I had been left by myself, due to my older brother going on to lecture all around the nation – and due to me having no other family to speak of. And so I was as good as an heir to Kurloz, and as good as a brother to Gamzee. No one else really took me as respectfully as the rest of the main Makara family (in fact, Vriska considered my position somewhat of a personal insult), but nonetheless, they listened to what I had to say….even though, I do admit, most of it was curses and yelling.

He'd always been there for me, I guess, and so when Kurloz began the war against the Striders, I could only hope to lead the ragtag bunch of misfits we'd been 'gifted' with to hopeful victory or death.

The only thing that we didn't realize was that there were actually three sides to a war.

Unquestionable Loyalty, Chaos, and Neutrality.

And I was about to easily turn our side into the middle of those three, of course, not without assistance from Gamzee himself.

But, however, the third side to the war plays a bigger part than you might think.

As I'd find out soon enough.


End file.
